This invention relates to processing food products with steam and particularly to an apparatus for continuous blanching or cooking of vegetal products.
Steam blanching is known wherein vegetal products are carried on a perforated belt through a steam blanching chamber having water seals at each end. The known blanchers are inefficient in their use of energy, and the contact of the vegetal product with liquid water at an elevated temperature results in a loss of nutrients, flavour and textural properties, and is a source of high BOD effluent.
It is known to blanch food products with steam using a pervious conveyor. However, to date, in order to provide uniform heating, the product to be treated has been distributed in a single layer on the conveyor. This requirement limits the production rate and is inefficient in its use of energy.